


Ghosting

by Charliegolightly



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Halloween Special, Hungry Ghost Month, he's a dumb, raditz is a ghost, written on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 02:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8428390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charliegolightly/pseuds/Charliegolightly
Summary: Raditz learns that there's a special loophole for Earth: One day a year the dead can return. Of course, only a handful are selected, and the dead can only do so much, but he's going to take this opportunity to pay his dear Little Brother a visit.
Written as a gift for my very talented friend, Neon. Please look at their fab art on finalassflash.tumblr.com





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nyazuline](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyazuline/gifts).



King Yemma had been more than happy to get rid of him for an evening, so when Raditz shoved his way to the head of the line of Halloween Returnees, the Ogre King happily stamped his approval.  
  
“Seriously?” Raditz looked a bit disappointed it had been that easy, because he was _pretty_ sure he could last longer than a minute in battle against Yemma this time. “That’s it?”

“That’s it, now queue up. The veil should be thinning soon for your part of the world.”

“…Not even gonna try the Yemma Locke? I can totally get out of–”  
  
“Raditz, get the Hell out of my office and into the queue. _Now_. I just want one day where you and that giant bald bastard aren’t raising–”

“Hell?” The saiyan offered with a cheeky smile, dodging a massive ledger the horned god threw at him, before rushing up to the line for Returns.   
  
This ‘Halloween’ was such a peculiar thing for the Earth to have, and ever since he’d learned that there was a whole _day_ allowed for handfuls of spirits to return to the realm of the living, Raditz had fought tooth and nail each time to try and go. Granted, he’d only known about it since the last time, and during that time he’d been trying (and failing) to take over Hell. Now that he’s actually able to return, though…

“Where the fuck am I gonna go?”

“I’m visiting my grandson,” a little old lady ahead of him in line offered up her plans in sweet voice. “That little bastard has it coming, selling my house. Oh, ho ho, he thought I was bad when I was alive? He’s in for a treat.”

Raditz blinked down at her then shuffled back a step. She had a good idea though, a little vengeance and mischief would make his trip well worth it. _Kakarot’s in for a real treat–and so’s my shithead nephew. AND Vegeta! Ha! This is gonna be amazing._

* * *

Earth looked the same as it did when he’d first arrived. The field he and Kakarot had died in had grown a bit grassier, and the crater his ship had created turned into a small muddy lake with a host of pond scum on it. A duck quacked at him, but didn’t find him intimidating enough to flee.

He shot a blast of ki at it, “Prick.”

That dip of life energy, however, made his already translucent form waver in and out from invisibility, and Raditz could feel the pull of the Other World tighten on him. Right, so much for _violent_ vengeance. He’d have to be clever about this. _Fuck._

Oddly enough, simply wanting to find Kakarot changed the scenery around him accompanied with a strange, pulling sensation from around his navel. Before him sat a small building, and a little to the side of that sat a larger one, round with a number printed on the side of it. Smoke rose from a chimney, and his nose twitched at the scents of delicious cooking.

“Chi-Chi! You’re not seriously gonna waste all that food, are ya?” Kakarot’s whining voice called out from inside the house, muffled but oh-so-much alive, and Raditz narrowed his eyes in jealous anger.

“It’s not a _waste_ , Goku!” A woman’s irritated voice shot back, and it sounded much closer to the door of the home. “It’s tradition to prepare food for the spirits of the dead. I am _tired_ of having this argument every year!”

Raditz froze, feeling like a dumbass when he realized he hadn’t realized Kakarot’s mate would be hanging around. He dodged to the side, hiding behind the tinier building (one of those ‘shrine’ things he’d heard about), and peeked around the corner of it to watch the door. _Why did he have to inherit dad’s weirdness? How can she even put up with him? Are they both brain damaged?_

The door to the house opened suddenly, and a woman who could almost have been mistaken for a saiyan with her fierce eyes and dark hair stepped out, carrying a tray of delicious smelling food. Apparently, ghosts could drool, because Raditz couldn’t stop salivating at the sight and smell of her cooking as it wafted ever closer. Closer?

“Oh _shit_!” She was headed right for the shrine he hid behind, and her mother’s ears picked up on **foul language** like a scouter for high power levels. The Woman paused, squinting in suspicion, and then slowly entered the shrine. _Phew…wait, why the hell am I hiding? She’s just some mortal earthling, and I’m **RADITZ**._

“Yeah!” he whispered under his breath, punching his fist into his hand, and stepped back out from his hiding spot to make a beeline for the house. “Kakarot! Prepare for the worst night of your–AGH!”

A sudden force collided with the back of his head, and a great weight seemed to send him crashing down to the dirt, leaving him helpless on the ground. The Woman landed in front of him, a small child at her side, and the both of them held several sticky talismans. Well…that explained why he couldn’t move.

“Name yourself, evil spirit!” The Woman shouted, waving one of the charms around threateningly, and the little boy (who, damn it all, looked _just like his dad_ ) laughed.

“That was a great kick, Mama! But it was kinda mean to get him with his back turned like that…”  
  
“Sweetie, shush. Let Mama deal with the bad ghost trying to steal your Grandpa’s offerings.”

“…King Yemma could learn a few things from you, Woman,” Raditz grumbled from the ground, the hair of his tail puffed out like an angry cat. “Because _this_ is real hell.”

“How rude!” She huffed, and set her fists on her hips in a way that reminded him of his own mother. “That is no way to address a lady, ya nasty–”  
  
“Raditz??” _Wonderful. Kakarot’s joined the circus outside._

“Thank you, Goku. Although I think there’s ruder insults to use beside radish…”

“No, no, Chi-Chi! That’s Raditz. He’s…uh, my brother?” Kakarot’s bare feet settled in the grass beside his wife and child’s, toes wiggling in the grass. “Right?”

“This is not how I wanted to spend my one day back,” Raditz grumbled into the dirt, sort of wishing it would just swallow him up. “Yes, Kakarot. It’s me. Your brother. That guy you got killed forever and a day ago and then completely forgot about.”

Suddenly the weight is gone, and Raditz rose up on his elbows, blinking in surprise at the unstuck talisman pinched between Kakarot’s fingers. The other man crouched down in front of him, looking older in ways only a saiyan could notice, and smiling in a way he really shouldn’t be at his son’s kidnapper and attempted murderer. It made Raditz uncomfortable.

“…What?”

“Welcome back!” Kakarot–no, Goku–beamed at him, and offered a hand out for Raditz to take. He ignored it, and picked himself up off the ground, brushing off dirt and grass off his partially corporeal body and ruined armor.  The Woman, Chi-Chi, muttered something about manners, and crossed her arms. _She_ looked angry and partially scared, pushing the curious child at her knee back behind her skirts. That felt more expected and normal.

“Goku! Don’t just go around welcoming whatever damned spirit comes drifting along our property like that! Isn’t he the guy who stole our precious little Gohan _when you were supposed to be watching him_!?” Chi-Chi gave his brother a scathing look on top of this that made the man wince.

_Yep. Just like dad. Gross._

“But, Chi-Chi…he’s family! And all that stuff’s in the past!” Kakarot ~~stupidly~~ insisted on Raditz’ behalf, much to the ghost’s bewilderment, and further surprised him when his brother threw an arm around him in a half-hug. “He’s already dead and paying his dues in the afterlife. If King Yemma let him come back to visit today, then surely it must be for a good reason! Right, Raditz?”

All eyes were on him, waiting for his answer, and Raditz felt weirdly pressured to give them a good answer–not that they deserved it. He had come back to make them pay! But…honestly? If Kakarot’s _earthling_ mate could put him down that easy, then maybe he should reconsider his original purpose for coming back.

“…Yeah, sure, whatever,” he answered with an awkward shrug, and suddenly his little brother’s picked him up off the ground in a back-breaking hug. “Hrk! Down! Down, you idiot!”

“Oops! Heh, sorry, Raditz! I’ve gotten a LOT stronger since we last saw each other. But, hey, I think you have too?” Kakarot kept up that big goofy smile at him, so Raditz couldn’t feel _too_ insulted. There’s no way a face like that had meant it as a slight against him–right?

“Yeah, well…not much to do when you’re dead…” Raditz mumbled, letting his brother lead him back into the main house with his wife and small son following after them. “Uh…so…your kid’s not that much of a crybaby anymore, huh?”

“Hm?” Gokarot–kakaru?–Goku looked over at the little boy who had flown up to his dad’s head to sit on a broad shoulder and stare at Raditz. “Oh, you mean Gohan! Ha, no, he’s pretty grown up now, actually. This is _Goten_.”

Raditz frowned, ducking his head to avoid clocking it on the low doorway, and examined the other boy better. How long had it been that his brother had already gone and had another brat? He couldn’t even pick on the little shit who’d ruined everything?  “Where’s the other one?”

“Oh, probably taking care of _his_ wife, like a _good husband_ ,” Chi-Chi commented, still giving Raditz the stink-eye as she made her way to the kitchen and started plating more food.

“Aw, Chi-Chi, don’t be like that! Everyone deserves a second chance after all, right? Besides, you said it yourself. This is the time to invite the dead for dinner and stuff!”

“Didn’t mean dead _jerks_ ,” she muttered under her breath and started setting plates out around the table. “Well, are you gonna stand there or are you gonna help? Being dead doesn’t mean you have to drag your feet!”

Startled into action, Raditz obediently ducked into the kitchen to get the teapot filled, and his _other_ nephew helped him by pointing out where the glasses were. “Uh, thanks, kid.” _Why the hell am I doing this?_

One dark look from his sister-in-law was reminder enough: Chi-Chi was frightening.

“Thank you for your help, boys,” Chi-Chi smiled at her son and husband, though what in the hell Kakarot did to help, Raditz couldn’t say. The three of them were suddenly clasping their hands together as if in prayer, and waited until Raditz did the same. With heads inclined a bit, the three speak at roughly the same time. “I gratefully receive!”

“Yeah, uh..same,” Raditz added when they looked at him, and the struggle to eat with the weird little sticks began. He ended up just stabbing through most of the meat, though, and was halfway through his third helping when he realized that he _was eating food_. Huh.

“Gods, this is amazing,” he gushed over the food, stuffing his face more and looking right at place with the other two saiyans shoveling the meal in their cheeks. Instead of looking disgusted or shocked, though, like many of Frieza’s men often had, Chi-Chi simply blushed and waved off the comment with modesty.

“Oh, why thank you! It’s my mother’s old recipe! I’m glad my cooking beats out whatever they’re serving in the after life!”

“They don’t serve anything. ‘Cos we’re dead.” More face stuffing filled the silence after that.

“Oh. Well. I’m happy to be your first home-cooked earth meal then!”

Raditz nodded, and then had a small fight over one of the meat sticks with his brother, the both of them growling over yakitori when Kakarot’s sneaky little brat popped up and stole it from them. Laughter broke out, and Raditz found himself inclined to join in. The small family chit-chatted about the things that happened, politely filling the dead man in as they drank tea and munched on these absolutely heavenly (har, har) treats called mochi.

“So…you’re not messing with me here? Vegeta _actually_ settled down here? And even has a little whelp of his own?”

“Uh-huh! He’s my best friend too, Uncle Raditz!” Goten piped up, but the smile faded a bit at the stricken look on the ghost’s face. “Uh…are you okay?”

“You called me your Uncle.”

“You…are my uncle?”

“…Oh, yeah. Uh, sorry, just…takes getting used to,” Raditz shook his head a bit, and stared down at the dregs of tea leaves at the bottom of his cup. They seemed to be forming something with a long handle and a square blade–an [axe](http://www.divinationbytealeaves.com/a-dictionary-of-symbols-a.htm)? He never put much store in fortune telling, even less now that he was dead.

“That’s okay, Uncle!” Goten rebounded, as chipper as his father, and snagged Raditz’ untouched mochi cake, smearing powdered sugar over his mouth in a little white mustache. “How long are ya gonna stay?”

“Yeah! I’d love to spar a bit with you if I can!” Goku chimed in, patting his full stomach. “Now that I’ve let food settle in a bit.”

“Oh, and I’m just going to wash all these dishes by myself?” Chi-chi intoned, having already begun clearing the table and stacked dishes in the kitchen. She relented with a sigh at the sheepish look her husband gave, and rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, you two go play. Goten can help me clean up.”

“Awww, Ma! I wanna fight too!”

“Listen to your mother, brat,” Raditz flicked his nephew in the ear and handed his mug over to the woman, missing the curious glance she gave his tea leaves. “You only get the one. And…uh, it’s important to learn how to clean up your own messes.” _That sounded more deep than it needed to be. Ugh, I’m getting old without even aging._

“Fiiiine,” Goten whined, rubbing at his ear and joining his mother in the kitchen. Chi-Chi raised a hand to halt Raditz’ journey out the door after her husband, and gave him a small pat on the shoulder.

“It was…nice to have you over. And to meet you, I suppose,” she said, and gave his stunned face a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome back. If only for tonight.”

Raditz made a choked noise, and hurried out the front door, rubbing at his cheek like a little boy still grossed out by girls. A weird, warm feeling sat in his chest and felt oddly heavy.

“Heh, you ready for round two, Raditz? It’s long overdue!” Goku shouted out happily, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet like an excited child.

“Hm. Ready to get your ass kicked, little brother? _Again_? You don’t got your jolly green friend here to play backup,” Raditz shot back, feeling more alive than he had since long before he actually died. They grinned at each other, looking so related it would startle anyone looking. Kakarot laughed, and Raditz did too, before the two of them slammed into each other.

Goku kicked his ass for a few more hours, and the real challenge lay in doing as little property damage as possible. The battle halted when instead of connecting with Raditz’ stupid smiling face, Goku’s fist went through his head.

“Oh crap! I’m sorry!”

“Calm down, Kakarot,” Raditz backed up, looking at his hands…or rather _through_ them. “It’s just…uh, well, about time for me to go, I guess.  Damn, and I wanted to at least spook Vegeta before I took off.”

“Do you have to go?” Goten asked, suddenly at his elbow once he stopped spying on them from the door. “You _just_ got here!”

“Goten, uh,” Goku struggled to explain things, and just kind of gave a helpless shrug as his words sorta trailed off. Raditz rolled his eyes, and sunk down to one knee, hand resting on the kid’s head. It went through, of course, so he gave up on that gesture.

“Don’t worry. I still have to kill your dad and his stupid green boyfriend for getting me killed. I’ll just come back when I break out of hell and beat up King Yemma. Sound good?”

“Uh…well, some of that sounds good? Like..just the you visiting part I guess?” Goten replied, and then gave Raditz a fierce smile. “But if you do that other stuff, then Trunks and I are just gonna have to beat you up!”

“Sounds like a plan, kiddo,” he smiled back, and then….everything was gone.

* * *

“Huh, whaddya know,” a great booming voice said from behind him, and Raditz turned around to find himself in front of King Yemma’s desk once more. “You actually did something productive with your time on Earth. Color me surprised.”

Raditz glared at the giant ogre, and then gave a crooked smirk. “Maybe I was just savin’ up all my energy for _you_ , Old Man!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, not this again–”  
  
“DOUBLE SUNDAY!”

Raditz lasted at least _five_ minutes this time, a new record, before King Yemma personally kicked his ass back down into Hell. It was okay, though, because Raditz was persistent. He had plans he needed to keep.


End file.
